New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-01-13
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
QUESTIONS OF EVERYDAY LIFE.

QUESTIONS OF EVERYDAY LIFE.
or E W 4das SsR
os History and Political science In Smith Colle.e
f2mo rp 235. Boston: CHM Co.
IT, would be a high compliment to the reaolhe
srbic OF America II 1t could be said that this BOOK
would be generally read. 1t is book wh'ch 'rea''
of the most vital questions Of every day nie ING
very questions upon which wordngmen ny 'ne
hundred thousand anxiously debating ID thet
assemblies and unions the very questfon "hioh
win rerplex CONGRESS more than any other' which
associations of manufacturers anMously consider
at every meeting and on which the dealings Ia I'LL
the great exchanges depend No other work Is re
membered in which these vital questions ha'e
been treated in a more elevated ana nooie uono, %
with more of searching and original thousho' i.0
not one in n hundred Of those who are deeply
interested in the subjects of which IL trea's VIII
read It. Professor Clark has merited high praise
md comes TO the world with a most valuable mes
saoe but he has not learned to speak In q IAN
r,aee which the millions will understand Inc
language Of the study and the classroom Vhc IAN
guage of exact and profound thought Is haluly iese
unknown to the multitude than Hebrew OF oalS
crit The most difficult Of all arts. perhaps Is 10
translate tho exact thought OF ripe schoarsihp
into the phrases Of the workshop and the market
place But it requires more than the ordinary
knowledge Of economic literature and more than
ordinary power Of abstract thinking to read Pro-
fcssor Clark's book with full comprehension
The corner stone Of the book SO to speak. is the
rejection Of the old error that man is oundle OF
sc,fshness and that economic science concerns
itself only with those acts which are prompted
by selfish interest. The perpetual influence OF uii-
selfish motives, the growing power OF generous
moral and Christian impulses over the life OF the
world is the great fact which 80 called science mas
ignored and because it has ignored fact 80 es
sential it has mainly missed its part IN lhe ser
vice of mankind Scientific theories, SO caieu'
are often false and generally inadequate because
they deal with imaginary economic man VINO
does not exist on the face OF this earth
Within the limits of brief review it would not
be possible to trace the important notifications
of theory which the writer suggests as conse-
ouences of studying the character OF the human
being instead OF 1.-THE economic man. IL may DC
said I'm passing that labor Is rightly helu 10 DC
not q commodity (p 81 and not the creator OF al
wealth. though a measure Of wealth cleatlon
that the distinction between productive ana uh-
productive consumption is greatly cleared an
that value is defined the measure OF Utilities
q phrase which oveIlooks In appearance al least
the varying magnitude Of needs and the Varylh.
frailty of human Judgment 1t would possibly be
of the relation between things and wants. The
"law of diminishing returns in agriculture is
keenIv treated as in part checked II not neutral
lied first by the increasing efficiency OF labor
agricultural and especially other, through the use
Of capital and second by the increasing cheapness
of capital.
The latter half of this book is devoted to an
application Of principles to the practical questions
of wages, capital and unions, of bargain and COM
petition, of arbitration, profit sharing and CO.
operation, OF the destruction OF competition IN
cert ain spheres by the solidarity Of capital or OF
labor. of socialistic or noncompeting distribution
of the higher forms OF wealth, and OF the economic
relations of the churches The fact that society
divides itself into multitude of non-competinS
groups so that the labor in making nails out
of iron does not compete with the labor In making
iron out of ore, nor the capital in one branch
with the capital in the other, is set forth more
fully than by Professor Cairnes Mr.. Georges
idea that WAGES must come from the products OF
labor is acceIted perhaps without all the modlhca
tions which scientific accuracy requires and made
the basis of most instructive treatise on trades
unions on strikes on the forcible arrest Of In
t;ividual competition. and on bOycotts, which are
ccnsurcd as wrong In principle ana as havlns
gone beyond the tolerance Of society Tom
petitiop without moral restraints is monster O.
completely antiquated as the saurians OF whom
the geoloaias tell US (p 1911, but the power OF
moral and religious influences over industrial
life grows too slowly; "rcligiOn has held itself
too much aloof from this particular work, and so
eNectual has been at times the separation OF
religious life from business life that seeming picty
has in too many cases been consistent with
business meanness7 tp. 1866. Arbitration is justly
criticised as fixing thought too much on the ratio
of division of the proceeds of labor profit sharing
= and cooperation are both higher developments,
because they fix the thought upon increasing
the product that is 60 be divided, and promote
harmony between interests which in the act OF
division are antagonstic. Competition will not
entirely cease but "h competition were supreme.
1t would be supremely Immoral il 1T existed other
wise than by suferance it would be demon
~ H. 2l9). The contrast between a true Christian
socialism and the tendencies commonly called
socialistic is finely drawn: christian socialism
is economic republcanism, and 1t can come no
sooner stay no longer and rise in quality no
higher than the intelligence and virtue among the
people, p. 1907. The waning influence Of the
churches i'm modern industrial life is traced to the
mercantile method, the ntng of pews and the
consequent repeling of those who cannot pay their
share for the best teaching, and are not willing
to attend as beneaciares tr. 900.
This Is q book which will do good wherever 1t
rs read Could its principles be interpreted to the
employers and the working people Of this country
and understood by them, IL would be worth O
vast sum yearly in material results, to say moth
ing Of the incalculsblc gain in diminution OF
Vicious strife and dcmoralizing methods 1t does
not always treat with distinguished courtesy the
accepted teachers Of economic science
Ind yet is conspicu0nsly free from
controversial rudeness Of tone. It's defect
Is its lack OF the simplicity needed t.
render 1t more widely appreciated But within
its covers are seed thoughts which will take root
In hundreds OF minds, and bear fruit in other
books more popular but only in outward aspect
more influential.